Fiber optic connector holder and method

ABSTRACT

A fiber optic connector holder is sized to fit within an opening for mounting a fiber optic adapter. The fiber optic connector holder is configured to permit a fiber optic connector with a dust cap positioned about a ferrule and a polished end face of an optical fiber held by the ferrule to be inserted within and releasably held by the connector holder. A system for holding fiber optic connectors includes a fiber optic connector holder mounted within an opening in a bulkhead for mounting a fiber optic adapter. The fiber optic connector holder is configured to receive a fiber optic connector with a dust cap mounted about a ferrule and polished end face of an optical fiber held by the ferrule. An optical fiber connector may be held to a bulkhead when the fiber optic connector includes a dust cap mounted about a ferrule and a polished end face of an optical fiber held by the ferrule.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 16/229,937,filed Dec. 21, 2018, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.15/728,067, filed Oct. 9, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,168,491, which is acontinuation of application Ser. No. 15/289,330, filed Oct. 10, 2016,now U.S. Pat. No. 9,784,928, which is a continuation of application Ser.No. 14/840,986, filed Aug. 31, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,470,851, whichis a continuation of application Ser. No. 14/132,282, filed Dec. 18,2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,122,019, which is a continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 13/540,258, filed Jul. 2, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No.8,636,421, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 13/177,108,filed Jul. 6, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,210,756, which is a continuationof application Ser. No. 12/908,271, filed Oct. 20, 2010, now U.S. Pat.No. 7,980,768 which is a continuation of application Ser. No.12/185,504, filed Aug. 4, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,841,775, which is acontinuation of application Ser. No. 11/729,425, filed Mar. 27, 2007,now U.S. Pat. No. 7,407,330, which is a continuation of application Ser.No. 10/610,325, filed Jun. 30, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,198,409, whichapplications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to holders for fiber opticconnectors and more specifically relates to holders for fiber opticconnectors which are protected by dust caps.

BACKGROUND

Fiber optic connectors include a polished end face, typically held by aferrule, which permits positioning of the optical fiber held by theconnector to receive and transmit signals another optical fiber oroptical light source. It is desirable to keep these polished end facesas free of contaminants as possible to improve the transmission of lightto and from the optical fiber held by the connector. Such contaminantswhich might adversely impact the transmission of light to and from theoptical fiber include but are not limited to dust and finger prints.

Dust caps may be provided for connectors to protect the polished endface of the optical fiber. However, when such dust caps are in place,the connector is not capable of being received in known optical fiberadapters, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,317,663, and6,347,888. The disclosures of these patents are incorporated herein byreference. A connector may be inserted into one of these known adaptersfor storage or pre-wiring of a cross-connection point, aninterconnection point or some other type telecommunications switching orconnection equipment with the dust cap removed. While the adapters mightprovide some protection from contaminants to a single connector insertedinto an adapter, these adapters are not as effective as a dust cap inprotecting the polished end face.

It is desirable to improve the known methods and apparatus forprotecting the polished end face of a fiber optic connector withintelecommunications equipment.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates to a fiber optic connector holder sized tofit within an opening for mounting a fiber optic adapter. The fiberoptic connector holder is configured to permit a fiber optic connectorwith a dust cap positioned about a ferrule and a polished end face of anoptical fiber held by the ferrule to be inserted within and releasablyheld by the connector holder.

The present invention further relates to a system for holding fiberoptic connectors including a fiber optic connector holder mounted withinan opening in a bulkhead for mounting a fiber optic adapter. The fiberoptic connector holder is configured to receive a fiber optic connectorwith a dust cap mounted about a ferrule and polished end face of anoptical fiber held by the ferrule. The connector holder may be removedfrom the bulkhead and a fiber optic adapter may be mounted within thesame opening.

The present invention also relates to a method of holding an opticalfiber connector to a bulkhead, when the fiber optic connector includes adust cap mounted about a ferrule and a polished end face of an opticalfiber held by the ferrule.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the description, illustrate several aspects of the invention andtogether with the detailed description, serve to explain the principlesof the invention. A brief description of the drawings is as follows:

FIG. 1 is a first perspective view of a fiber optic connector holderaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a second perspective view of the fiber optic connector holderof FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the fiber optic connector holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the fiber optic connector holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a first end view of the fiber optic connector holder of FIG.1.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the fiber optic connector holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a second opposite end view of the fiber optic connector holderof FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a first perspective view of system for holder a fiber opticconnector including the fiber optic connector holder of FIG. 1 with afiber optic connector inserted.

FIG. 9 is a second perspective view of the system for holding a fiberoptic connector of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a top view of the system for holding a fiber optic connectorof FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the system for holding a fiber optic connectorof FIG. 8.

FIG. 12 is an end view of the system for holding a fiber optic connectorof FIG. 8.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the system for holding a fiberoptic connector of FIG. 8, taken along line A-A in FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the system for holding afiber optic connector of FIG. 8.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the main housing of the fiber opticconnector holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 16 is a first perspective view of an inner housing of the fiberoptic connector holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 17 is a second perspective view of the inner housing of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a top view of the inner housing of FIG. 16.

FIG. 19 is a side view of the inner housing of FIG. 16.

FIG. 20 is a first end view of the inner housing of FIG. 16.

FIG. 21 is a second end view of the inner housing of FIG. 16.

FIG. 22 is a first perspective view of the cover of the fiber opticconnector holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 23 is a second perspective view of the cover of FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a top view of the cover of FIG. 22.

FIG. 25 is a side view of the cover of FIG. 22.

FIG. 26 is a bottom view of the cover of FIG. 22.

FIG. 27 is a first end view of the cover of FIG. 22.

FIG. 28 is a second end view of the cover of FIG. 22.

FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the clip of the fiber optic connectorholder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 30 is an end view of the clip of FIG. 29.

FIG. 31 is a side view of the clip of FIG. 29.

FIG. 32 is a bottom view of the clip of FIG. 29.

FIG. 33 is a top view of the fiber optic connector holder of FIG. 1inserted within an opening in a bulkhead.

FIG. 34 is a perspective view of a bulkhead including a plurality ofopenings for receiving fiber optic connector adapters and the fiberoptic connector holder of FIG. 1 inserted within one of the openings.

FIG. 35 is a perspective view of the dust cap of the fiber opticconnector of FIG. 14.

FIG. 36 is a side view of the dust cap of FIG. 35.

FIG. 37 is an end view of the dust cap of FIG. 35.

FIG. 38 is a cross-sectional view of the dust cap of FIG. 35.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary aspects of the presentinvention which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whereverpossible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or similar parts.

Fiber optic cables may be terminated with fiber optic connectors such asconnector 100 shown in FIGS. 8 through 14, below. Optical fiber withinthese cables may be terminated at a polished end face held by a ferrule102 in connector 100, as is well known in the art and shown in U.S. Pat.No. 5,317,663, incorporated herein by reference. These polished endfaces and ferrules 102 need to be stored and protected until needed forconnecting to other fiber optic cables or optical signal equipment. Thefiber optic connector 100 including a connector body 101 surrounding theferrule 102 and a connector sleeve 103 mounted over the connector body101 (e.g., see FIG. 14).

Often a dust cap 104 may be placed about ferrule 102 and the polishedend face of the optical fiber to protect the polished end face fromcontamination from dust, fingerprints or other items which might degradeoptical signal transmission. While it is known to store these in knownoptical fiber adapters until the fiber within the attached cable isneeded to connect to another fiber optic cable or optical signalequipment, such storage is less than ideal as adapters do not seal thepolished end face from contamination as well as dust cap 104 securelyfit and held about ferrule 102 of connector 100. Known adapters do notpermit insertion of connector 100 which still has dust cap 104 in placeabout ferrule 102 and the polished end face of the cable.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, connector holder 10 includes a mainhousing 12 defining an interior cavity 14. An open end 18 permitsinsertion of a connector 100 into cavity 14 while an opposite opening 16permits dust cap 104 to protrude from connector holder 10. A clip 20 ispositioned about main housing 12 and includes a pair of spring mountingclips 22. A pair of flanges 24 extends from opposing sides 26 of mainhousing 12 adjacent spring clips 22. Clips 22 and flanges 24 cooperateto releasably mount holder 10 to an opening in a bulkhead as is shownbelow.

Main housing 12 also includes a bottom 30 with a keyway 28 to receive akeyed extension of connector 100 to consistently orient connector 100for insertion into cavity 14. Opposite bottom 30 is an open top closed acover 32. This is shown in more detail in FIG. 12, below. FIGS. 3through 7 provide additional views of connector holder 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 through 13, connector holder 10 is shown withconnector 100 positioned within cavity 18. Dust cap 104 extends fromopening 16 of connector holder 10 while connector 100 is insertedthrough open end 14. The fiber optic connector 100 is stored in theconnector holder 10 with a first portion of the connector sleeve 103positioned within the interior cavity 14 and a second portion of theconnector sleeve 103 projecting outwardly from the front of theconnector holder 10 (e.g., see FIG. 9).

Referring now to FIGS. 13 and 14, connector holder 10 further includesan inner housing 34 with a pair of opposing releasable catches 36 and anopening 38 sized to receive dust cap 104. Inner housing 34 is positionedwithin main housing 12 through an open top 40 with opening 38 adjacentopening 16 and catches 36 adjacent open end 14. Cover 32 is thenpositioned within open top 40 and clip 20 placed about cover 32 and mainhousing 12. Cover 32 may be sealed within open top 40 by gluing,ultrasonic welding or a variety of known fastening techniques. Connector100 includes a pair of opposing recesses 106 which receive catches 36when connector 100 is inserted within holder 10.

As shown, connector 100 and holder 10 are FC style. Connector 100 andholder 10 may conform to other styles and formats of electricalconnectors and adapters without straying from the spirit of the presentinvention.

Referring now to FIG. 15, main housing 12 also includes a slot 42 alongboth sides of cavity 14 to receiving and positioning a flange of innerhousing 34 within cavity 14. A recess 44 is provided along sides 26 toreceive clip 20. Open top 40 includes a ledge 46 upon which cover 32 ispositioned to close cavity 14. An outer bulkhead 68 forms a portion ofopening 16. An inner bulkhead 45 is positioned spaced apart from outerbulkhead 68 and these bulkheads cooperate to define slot 42. Betweenbulkheads 45 and 68 is a positioning surface 43 defining the bottom ofslot 42.

Referring now to FIGS. 16 to 21, inner housing 34 includes a pair ofclip arms 48 extending from a cross piece 50. Opening 38 for receivingdust cap 104 of connector 100 is in cross piece 50. Catches 36 are atthe end of clip arms 48 opposite cross piece 50. Cross piece 50 includesa pair of flanges 52 which are received in slots 42 in main housing 12.As shown in FIG. 18, catches 36 include a ramped portion 54 which isengaged by connector 100 as connector 100 is inserted within cavity 14through open end 18 of connector holder 10. Clip arms 48 are deflectedoutward allowing connector 100 to pass between catches 36. Whenconnector 100 is fully inserted within cavity 14 (as shown in FIG. 13)catches 36 are received within recesses 106 and a retaining surface 56of each catch 36 hold connector 100 within cavity 14.

Inner housing 34 is configured to permit insertion within slots 42 ofcavity 14 of main housing 12 in either of two orientations. A pair ofedges 66 of cross piece 50 properly position inner housing within cavity14 with regard to cover 32 and main housing 12 so that opening 38 isaligned to receive dust cap 104.

Referring now to FIGS. 22 to 28, cover 32 includes a recess 58 forreceiving clip 20 along an outer surface 68. Also in outer surface 68 isa recess 72 for receiving indicia. Along an inner surface 70 are formeda pair of edges 64 configured to be received upon ledges 46 of mainhousing 12. Extending from inner surface 70 is an outer flange 60 whichcooperates with bulkhead 68 within main housing 12 to define opening 16.Also extending from inner surface 70 is a inner flange 62 which isspaced apart from outer flange 60 to form a slot 63. Slot 63 cooperateswithin slot 42 of main housing 12 to receive flanges 52 of inner housing34.

At the top of slot 63 is a positioning surface 61 which cooperates withone of edges 66 of inner housing 34 to position inner housing 34 withincavity 14 so that opening 38 of inner housing 34 is aligned with opening16. When assembled as connector holder 10, positioning surface 43 ofmain housing 12 and positioning surface 61 of cover 32 cooperate toengage both edges 66 of inner housing 34. Slot 42 of main housing 12 andslot 63 of cover 32 cooperate to capture flanges 52 of inner housing 34.

Referring now to FIGS. 29 to 32, clip 20 includes a cross piece 74 and apair of opposing sides 76. Spring clips 22 are formed in sides 76. Sides76 are received within recesses 44 of main housing 12 and cross piece 74is received within recess 58 of cover 32. It is anticipated that clip 20will be made of a resilient deformable metal to facilitate insertion andremoval from an opening in a bulkhead. Spring clips 22 each include anend 78 and a ramped surface 80.

FIGS. 33 and 34 shows fiber optic connector holder 10 inserted within anopening 84 in a bulkhead 82. Bulkhead 82 may be part of a piece oftelecommunications switching equipment such as a panel for making aplurality of connections between optical fiber cables including aplurality of openings 84 for adapters, as shown in FIG. 34.Alternatively, bulkhead 82 may include only a single opening 84 whereonly a single fiber optic connector holder 10 is needed.

Open end 18 of connector holder 10 is inserted through opening 84 untila pair of sides 86 of opening 84 engage ramped surfaces 80 of springclips 22. Continued insertion of connector holder 10 will cause bulkheadsides 86 to deflect spring clips 22 inward toward sides 26. Bulkheadsides 86 will eventually pass beyond ends 78 of spring clips 22. Springclips 22 will then spring back as shown in FIG. 34, capturing bulkheadsides 86 between ends 78 and flanges 24. Connector holder 10 may beremoved from opening 84 by compressing spring clips 22 and removing in adirection opposite the insertion described above.

Alternatively, flanges 24 may be configured to include a fasteneropening so that connector holder 10 can be mounted within opening 84 byremovable fasteners.

It is anticipated that bulkhead should be interpreted broadly enough toinclude a telecommunications installation where openings 84 for mountingadapters and connector holders are included into sliding adapter packs,such as described in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,444. Thedisclosure of this patent is incorporated herein by reference. Bulkheadshould also be interpreted broadly enough to include a single opening ina wall or panel, a face plate of a telecommunications module forcross-connecting or interconnecting multiple optical fiber cables, aswell as other telecommunications installations where one or moreadapters may be mounted within an opening 84.

Referring now to FIGS. 35 through 38, dust cap 104 includes a centralopening 108 to receive ferrule 102 when ferrule 102 is inserted throughopen end 110. Opposite open end 110 is closed end 112 which includesknurling 114 to provide better grip for removing dust cap 104. Centralopening 108 fits about ferrule 102 to provide a seal about ferrule 102and to hold dust cap to connector 100. Due to the reduction of airvolume within central opening 108 when ferrule 102 is inserted (see FIG.13), one or more helix shaped recesses 116 are provided within centralopening 108 along inner walls 118. Recesses 116 extend from adjacentclosed end 112 to open end 110. Recesses 116 are small enough prevententry of unwanted contaminants and still permit air displaced withincentral opening 108 to be expelled when ferrule 102 is inserted so thatdust cap 104 may be fully seat to connector 100. Recesses 116 also allowair to pass into central opening 108 when dust cap 104 is withdrawn fromferrule 102. The shape of each recess 116 is also designed to allowpassage of air into and out of central opening 108 when dust cap 104 isremoved or placed on ferrule 102 while inhibiting the passage ofcontaminants along the same path.

The above specification, examples and data provide a completedescription of the manufacture and use of the composition of theinvention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention, the inventionresides in the claims hereinafter appended.

1. (canceled)
 2. A method of holding a fiber optic connector comprising:providing an optical fiber terminated by a fiber optic connectorincluding a connector body extending along a longitudinal axis between afirst end and a second end, the fiber optic connector also including aferrule positioned at the first end of the connector body, the ferruleholding the optical fiber so that a polished end face of the opticalfiber is positioned at an end surface of the ferrule; mounting a fiberoptic connector holder and covering arrangement at a mounting member,the fiber optic connector holder and covering arrangement including abody that is removably mounted to the mounting member, the body defininga cavity having a first end configured to receive the fiber opticconnector, the cavity filling a majority of an internal volume of thebody, the connector holder and covering arrangement including a ferrulecover having a closed end; inserting the first end of the connector bodyinto the cavity so that the closed end of the ferrule cover opposes thepolished end face of the optical fiber, wherein inserting the first endof the connector body into the cavity includes: inserting the first endof the connector body so that so that the longitudinal axis of the fiberoptic connector is generally horizontal during insertion; and deflectinga pair of clip arms outwardly so that the clip arms snap over the fiberoptic connector to releasably secure the fiber optic connector withinthe cavity.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the ferrule cover includesa dust cap.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the dust cap includes aside surface that opposes an annular side surface of the ferrule of thefiber optic connector.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein inserting thefirst end of the connector body into the cavity includes inserting thefirst end of the connector body while the closed end of the ferrulecover opposes the polished end face of the optical fiber.
 6. The methodof claim 2, wherein the mounting member is configured to receive aplurality of fiber optic connector holders.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein the mounting member defines a plurality of openings, and whereinmounting the fiber optic connector holder and covering arrangement atthe mounting member comprises inserting the fiber optic connector holderand covering arrangement within one of the openings defined by themounting member.
 8. The method of claim 2, wherein the mounting memberis configured to receive a plurality of fiber optic adapters.
 9. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the body of the fiber optic connector holderand covering arrangement is resiliently held at the mounting member. 10.The method of claim 9, wherein the body is snap-fit to the mountingmember.
 11. The method of claim 2, wherein the mounting member includesa panel.
 12. A fiber optic assembly comprising: a fiber optic connectorterminating an optical fiber, the fiber optic connector including aconnector body extending along a longitudinal axis between a first endand a second end, the fiber optic connector also including a ferrulepositioned at the first end of the connector body, the ferrule holdingthe optical fiber so that a polished end face of the optical fiber ispositioned at an end surface of the ferrule; a fiber optic connectorholder and covering arrangement including a body defining a cavityhaving a first end configured to receive the fiber optic connector, thecavity filling a majority of an internal volume of the body, theconnector holder and covering arrangement including a ferrule coverhaving a closed end that opposes the polished end face of the opticalfiber when the first end of the fiber optic connector is received withinthe cavity, wherein the longitudinal axis of the fiber optic connectoris generally horizontal when received within the cavity; and a mountingmember at which the body of the fiber optic connector holder andcovering arrangement is removably mounted.
 13. The fiber optic assemblyof claim 12, wherein the body includes a pair of deflectable clip armsconfigured to secure to the fiber optic connector when the first end ofthe fiber optic connector is received within the cavity.
 14. The fiberoptic assembly of claim 12, wherein the mounting member is configured toreceive a plurality of fiber optic connector holders.
 15. The fiberoptic assembly of claim 14, wherein the mounting member defines aplurality of openings, and wherein the body of the fiber optic connectorholder and covering arrangement is mounted within one of the openingsdefined by the mounting member.
 16. The fiber optic assembly of claim12, wherein the mounting member is configured to receive a plurality offiber optic adapters.
 17. The fiber optic assembly of claim 12, whereinthe body of the fiber optic connector holder and covering arrangement isresiliently held at the mounting member.
 18. The fiber optic assembly ofclaim 17, wherein the body is snap-fit to the mounting member.
 19. Thefiber optic assembly of claim 18, wherein the body includes externalclip arms that hold the body to the mounting member.
 20. The fiber opticassembly of claim 12, wherein the mounting member includes a panel. 21.The fiber optic assembly of claim 12, wherein the ferrule cover includesa dust cap.